False Dawn
by Hellstorm88
Summary: Starts just hours before the ending. Luke and Asch are moving on with their lives after Eldrant, when a few strange things start happening... LukexTear, AschxNat, AnisexFlorian, GuyxNoelle. Updating ASAP.
1. Reunion

AN: This is my first one, so don't flame it and all. r/r, the usuall stuff. And its mostly going to be fluff for the first few chapters, so don't come whining that it dousnt have enough action. Now sit back and enjoy! (i hope)

* * *

_It's… Cold…_

…_h a…n._

_That voice…_

_A… h… my vo…_

_I know that voice._

_Awa…_

_Lorelei?_

_Asch, awaken._

Asch woke with a start, jumping up from the ground.

_Asch… _Lorelei's voice echoed in his head, pounding on his nerves.

_What happened? I remember fighting... those replica knights and then… I died…_

_I brought you back to life._

_How?_

_I made you a new body, and revived your spirit._

_You didn't use mine!?_

_Your body and Luke's were combined after I was freed._

_Now I'm the Replica!? _His voice was a strike of lightning, blasting with anger and indignation.

_No. Your body is real, not a replica. It is exactly as it was before you were replicated._

Asch looked down and, seeing a pool of water, looked at his reflection. He saw that it was indeed his face, but his hair was overgrown and wild. _What year is it? It looks like at least a year has passed, with my hair as it is._

_ND2020, it has been a year._

_That means… I'm of age! Where am I, I have to hurry to Baticul!_

_Tataroo Valley, near the Sephiroth. Luke mentioned that he heard his friends were going to be meeting there near Eldrant, hoping he will show up. He plans to meet them there._

_Thanks, I think I will too…_

* * *

_Luke!_

_Asch?!_

_Yeah, I'm back. I'm going to the valley to meet them too._

_That's fine, as long as I'm back first. It would break Tear's heart if you showed up before I did._

_Why?_

_Because you died. If you came back it wouldn't be very fair in their eyes. Though Natalia wouldn't mind much._

_Fine, just stay away from her. I'm the one who proposed, not you._

_That's fine, see you there.

* * *

_

The valley was just as he remembered, save that Eldrant's crumbling remains were sitting at the end. A sea of Selenias stretched from the hill to Eldrant, their glowing petals lighting up the valley. "So many memories..."

Luke started walking down to Eldrant, taking in the scenery as he went. He saw tall trees, full of leaves rustling in the slight wind. Monsters were hiding in the tall grass, hiding from him.

He was soon standing in front of Eldrant, and he looked back on his promise. _They must think I'm dead now..._ He turned around and headed back towards the start of the valley. In the distance someone started to sing a hymn.

Luke knew it was Tear and, as he got closer, could recognize her voice. He saw them in the distance, near where he and Tear first started the adventure. He grew closer as the hymn grew to a close. They turned to leave as he came out of the shadows of the valley. Tear had just gotten up, and was the first to see him.

She looked at him cautiously, as she asked, "Why are you here?"

_Tear…_ "There's a great view of Hod from here… And I made someone a promise." Luke said it with a little smile on his face, happy to see his friends again.

A tear ran down Tear's cheek, and she walked forward as if it was a dream. Guy, Natalia, and Anise walked up as well, while Jade just stood back and smiled.

Tear made it to him and fell into his arms. "You came back…" her voice was soft and trembled as she cried.

"I made you a promise Tear… I'm coming home."

The others stood in a semicircle around him, smiling. Jade's smile just grew. Luke could just barely see Asch on the path up the hill.

"hey guys..."

Guy walked up to Luke and slapped him on the back, "Good to see ya'"

"Its good to see all of you," Luke replied with a smile.

"Where were you? Its been a year..." Tear looked up at him, and he noticed she had stopped crying.

"Stuck in the Valley. Lorelei put a Daathic seal on a small part near the Sephiroth." Luke smiled down at her, "He taught me Daathic Artes, the contamination effect, and the basics of healing."

"Why didn't he let you train at home?" Tear pulled away from him a little, still in his arms, but so she could look at him more levelly.

"He told me he had something to do while he was training me. I just broke the seal last week."

"Why didn't you come back to Baticul then? My father and yours have been worried and your mother is as sick as ever." Natalia's arms were sticking strait down and she was yelling.

Luke backed up a little, "I barely made it to Chesedonia two days ago. I went to Astor and he told me that Anise had been by to visit." He turned and gave her a piercing look, "He told me you were going to drag everyone here to wait for me one last time."

"Perhaps we should leave the discussions for later. There are still monsters in the valley, you know." He pushed up his glasses just like he always did, as though he didn't have a care in the world.

Anise put her hands on her hips, saying "Jade, It's just like you to pick the worst times to say stuff."

"Well, he is right... Lets go guys." Luke and Tear started up the path together, the others not far behind them.

They were getting into the trees at the top of the hill, and Luke couldn't see Asch. _I guess he's going for an entrance..._They listened to the sounds of the night as they walked; the scurrying monsters, wind rustling the leaves, and the swishing of the grass as they walked. Luke heard a soft scream from Natalia, turning around to see her fall right into Asch's arms.

"Really Natalia, are you really this much of a klutz, or do you always fall so I catch you?"

Natalia looked up with disbelief at Asch's grin. "Asch?! but... you died..."

Asch's grin faded a little, "yea, I did..."

"Then... how?" Natalia had gotten up, but was still in his arms.

"Lorelei. He made me a new body and revived me somehow. He told me you were going here."

"That means... Luke, you must have known! Why didn't you tell me?" Natalia practically peeled herself off Asch to confront him.

"I told him not to. I wanted to surprise you Natalia." Asch looked over at Luke with one of those 'you owe me' faces as he said it.

"Lets hurry. I imagine that Noelle, Ginji, and Florian are all very bored sitting in the Albiore alone."

"Jade, why do you keep ruining the moments? I'm starting to get the feeling that you're doing it to make fun of them." Anise put her hands on her head and swung it around, "you know that you're supposed to share!"

"Well, if we're going lets go to Baticul. Luke's not the only one with a promise to keep." Nobody commented on Natalia's blush when he said it.

"Lets just go. It's been entirely too long since I've seen mother."

"Yes, lets go." Tear grabbed Luke's hand and said so that only he could hear, "together."

The group turned, walked down the path and out of the trees to see the Albiore sitting off in the distance. They all looked up at the sky at that moment, with the sky filled with a full moon and stars.

* * *

AN: now get moving with those reviews. Tell me everything i did wrong, minus plot details. keep it to grammer and organization. Ch2 should be up in a week or two, just have to get around to typing it up...


	2. Chapter 2

AN: at the moment, I happen to be grounded, which means that even getting this out is a chore. My last note was probably a little too focused. What I meant was critique it as a whole, not just grammar. I need tips on organization and such. The great picture I see in my head is but an ugly smear if I can't describe it to you right. Enjoy!

* * *

The shadow of the Albiore sped on the waves, created by the full moon's glow, as they headed in the general direction of Baticul. The flight was smooth, passing through the occasional cloud with the Ispanian Continent an orange smear in the distance.

Inside was a scene of contentment, with each bit of the group split into chatting circles. Jade asked Luke and Asch a few questions, Natalia and Tear discussing their times away from them. Anise, Florian, Guy, and Noelle were looking at the passing clouds, not saying much. Ginji was flying the Albiore.

"Well, the two of you seem fine. I'd say you won't have any further problems with the contamination effect or any fomicry side effects." Jade pushed up his glasses and walked off, preempting any response from the two.

"Well that went well," Asch said with a sigh. "We officially don't have a thing to worry about."

"Yeah, from that source anyways." Luke looked at Tear and Natalia with a laugh. "Tear still might kill me for not getting out in a week."

"Well let's go find out. I'm rather bored talking to you."

"It's not my fault when you start a conversation with me."

"No, it's just your fault when you keep it going"

Both of them walked over to Tear and Natalia in good spirits, acting like brothers. They sat down, Luke next to Tear and Asch next to Natalia, and asked how they had been over the year.

The four of them talked for over an hour, Tear's head slowly dropping onto Luke's shoulder. Eventually they all agreed that they would head in for the night, tired as they were from the events of the day. They stood up and went to the bunk room, Tear and Luke settling into bunks in the middle, while Asch and Natalia chose to share one in the back corner.

Luke looked over at Tear's bed to see her splayed across the bed. He could tell by the way she was laying there that she was already asleep. After a moment or so, though, she started tossing a little, as if she was very uncomfortable. Luke got up, thinking of finding out what was wrong. He reached out, touching her on the shoulder gently.

She unconsciously grabbed at it, holding his arm to her and almost immediately calming down. Taken aback by what she did, he wondered for a moment what he should do. Luke tried to pull his arm gently out of her grip, but she tightened it and started to toss and turn again. It hit him just then, just how alone she must have been, an entire year with him missing. He knew he had missed some of what she had said in their last moments together. Luke didn't have to be a genius to figure out what it must have been.

So Luke actually laid himself out next to Tear, wondering if she would be angry in the morning. He decided it didn't matter, and pulled her closer to him. Tear nudged her head right next to Luke's neck, using his shoulder as a pillow.

Luke laid there amazed as Tear actually _relaxed_, not just rested. So he just laid there, cuddled closer to her, and banished the nightmares of being alone.

* * *

Guy and Noelle wandered off from Anise and Florian, who had started to just stare off into the distance, in the direction of Daath. They started to talk about a lot of things, surprisingly nothing about fon machines.

They almost didn't notice when the Albiore went into a gentle decent. They realized that they were still a long way off from leaving the peninsula, much less actually being close to Baticul. Before Guy and Noelle could react, Jade jumped up to the cockpit and yelled at Ginji to explain what he was doing.

Instead of explaining himself, he put the Albiore into a much steeper dive, forcing everyone in the cockpit to the floor. Jade stopped himself on the back of the copilot's chair, and summoned his spear to threaten Ginji. "Pull up now!" Jade didn't think he would really listen, but he didn't care. Ginji would pull up, whether he wanted to or not.

"What the hell?" Noelle and Guy nearly simultaneously said. Guy had fallen first, catching Noelle before she fell hard. Noelle's reaction seemed to come from the fall, where Guy's seemed disbelieving, as he wasn't even trembling with Noelle distinctly close to him.

Jade forced Ginji out of his seat and wildly pulled back on the controls. The Albiore leveled out a little, giving everyone a more stable surface to stand on. Ginji started to run for the back, but Guy and Noelle cornered him. He hesitated for a moment, and then tried to run Noelle over. Guy shoved him back against the wall, holding him there while Noelle ran to the pilot's chair.

Jade soon joined Guy and the two tied Ginji up while Noelle put them back on course, more or less. The two dragged him into a corner and tied him to a chair.

"What the hell were you doing?" Guy started, anger seeping into his voice.

"Heh, just going for a dive…" Ginji looked at them as though he hadn't just tried smearing them against a Cliffside.

"Guy, I don't think that's Ginji…" Jade was staring intently at Ginji's expression, suddenly aware of his childish expression and empty eyes.

"What are you talking about, Jade?" Guy looked up at him like he had just said fon machines were run by cheagles on a little wheel (Jade knew that look because he said it once, just to see his expression).

Jade ignored Guy and asked "Ginji, when did we first meet?"

"Years ago, in Sheridan. Been flying for you ever since." Ginji said it in confidence.

His response was met with empty stares, as it was painfully obvious that he was an imposter. "Well, what do you think Jade?" Guy didn't want to look at the imposter so he stared at the wall to the left of them.

"I think we have ourselves a replica." Jade stood up and turned. "Ginji must have been kidnapped, and this replica trained to take his place. We'll worry about finding him after everyone is told about Luke. Goodnight"

Jade headed to the back room, passing a solemn Anise and Florian. "I suggest you two get some rest too. Preparations for weddings can cause headaches, especially when you haven't prepared yourself for the horrors."

"Jade, can't you ever be serious?" Anise put her hands on her hips and leaned forward, her usual expression of frustration. "There's no such thing as horrors at a wedding, unless you count any guests like you."

"So prepare yourselves." Jade turned and left the room with a grin.

"Let's go Florian. I guess we should go, and get some sleep." With that Anise and Florian also went into the back room.

Guy walked over and sat in the co-pilot's seat. "Are you okay Noelle?" Guy looked over as she bit her lower lip.

"I hope Ginji's alright… He's the only family I have left." She wiped the beginnings of a tear out of her eyes and tried to keep flying the Albiore.

"You can go rest too, if you need to Noelle. I can fly the Albiore for a few hours." He looked over all the gauges as if to reassure her.

"I'll stay up here, I'm fine." Guy saw her making a face from the corner of his eye.

"At least take a break then." Guy insisted.

"Alright, alright. You win," Noelle conceded with a smile.

* * *

"Well that's new. You'd think that Tear would at least sleep on the other side of the bed." Anise was staring at the two, who had gone from merely being close to Tear being on top of Luke, her head resting on his chest.

"Must be from the struggle. I'm sure Tear would have at least kept him at arms distance." Jade poked up his glasses. "Let's leave them like that so we can see her reaction."

"Colonel, that's evil! Okay, maybe we'll have a good laugh in the morning."

With that, Anise and Florian chose a bed near the front, and then lay down a 'decent' distance apart. Jade chose the bunk across from them, muttering "Silly children…"

* * *

"Hey Noelle, I have an idea… Let's go to the Cheagle woods, and pick up Mieu. He'd love to see Luke and Tear again."

"That sounds like a great idea, Guy. If we go now, we can make it to Baticul by early morning."

With that, Guy turned the Albiore around and said "Yea… That way everyone will wake up with a supprise."

* * *

AN: Sorry their so short. dont forget to RR! Chapter 3 should be up in 2 or 3 weeks.


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